1. Introduction Thames Rowing Club Has a Zero Tolerance for Anyone Being Harmed As a Result of Our Members’ Participation in the Sport
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CLUB SAFETY PLAN Updated January 2020 1. Introduction Thames Rowing Club has a zero tolerance for anyone being harmed as a result of our members’ participation in the sport. We believe that harm is not an inevitable consequence of our activities and that incidents that cause harm can be avoided. We will strive to provide an environment in which the sport can be practiced safely and enjoyably by our members. We will guide and lead our members in a way that fulfils these aims. We recognise that our members have primary responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others. The Club, through its Officers and Committee, will encourage safe practice having due regard for the guidance provided by British Rowing in RowSafe. This document outlines the safety rules that it expects its members to follow. Complying with these rules will help to prevent harm. The Club is also committed to learn from the incidents it becomes aware of and will share this information to help others in the sport to learn too. We are committed to make appropriate use of British Rowing’s Incident Reporting System. Members are invited to refer any questions and concerns, relating to safety, to the Club’s Rowing Safety Adviser ([email protected]). The Safety Plan is supplementary to British Rowing’s RowSafe guidelines and to the Tideway Code. The requirements apply to the Tideway from Putney Bridge up to Teddington Lock and to Club members when operating away from TRC except where local safety procedures are issued for the location visited. These instructions also apply to crews hosted by TRC and any other person boating from the premises. 1.1 Emergencies In the event of an emergency, guidelines on how to deal with the emergency are contained in the Club Emergency Plan. 1.2 Responsibilities All members are personally responsible for and have a duty of care to ensure that their actions, both on and off the water, are conducted in a manner that does not compromise the safety of themselves or others. All members are expected to comply with the requirements of the Row Safe Guide, the Club’s Safety Plan and any other instructions issued by the Club, with respect to safety. All members must read and sign the Safety Induction document before using Club equipment, which outlines their responsibilities in greater detail. 1.3 Conditions Thames Members may row all year round, in almost all types of weather condition, in coach:boat ratios defined by our steering matrix (table 1). If you are not confident of the 1 conditions before you boat, do not boat. If the prevailing conditions change once you are on the water, and you are not happy with or feel you cannot cope with the conditions, you must say so. In the worst case seek refuge at the nearest rowing club. You should never boat if: There has been lightning in the last 30 minutes; Visibility is so poor you cannot see Fulham Wall; or It is dark and there are two other difficult conditions. It is strongly recommended to always row with at least one other boat, or with a launch. If you do go out alone, ensure someone knows what time you are going out and are expecting to be back (in addition to the signing out book). Coaching Conditions 1 to 1 Group None Normal 0 1 2 Difficult 1 2 3 Dark or 2x difficult 2 3 4 Dark and difficult 3 4 n/a Table 1: Thames Steering Matrix. This table outlines the required steering levels to go out on the water in various conditions, with different coaching ratios. Difficult conditions include going below Wandsworth, high wind, high stream, beginner rowers, and poor visibility. 2. General Water Safety Requirements 2.1 Safety Equipment The Club provides items of safety equipment, which shall be used by its members to accord with the following: Life Jackets / Buoyancy Aids: The wearing of a life jacket or buoyancy aid is compulsory for all coxswains and all drivers and passengers of any of the club’s launches. These must be properly fitted and have crotch straps. Coxswains must have manually inflated life jackets (ie ones which do not automatically inflate when submerged) to be able to use bowloader coxed fours. Where, due to a medical condition, members are considered to be at risk of becoming unconscious or immobile, as a result of immersion, an automatic lifejacket must be worn. All Club life jackets are tested annually. This is monitored by the member of the safety sub-committee responsible for safety aids. The members are responsible for the day to day maintenance and checking of the life jacket allocated to them. Any members with a privately owned life jacket are responsible for maintaining and testing it themselves. Launch safety kits: Throw lines, thermal exposure blankets, first aid boxes Any person driving a launch whilst coaching should ensure that their launch is equipped with a safety kit. The boat man will check the contents of the safety kit at least three times a year. Drivers should report if they use any of the equipment in the safety kit to the boat man. There will be an annual training for all coaches on using safety aids. 2 First Aid Kits There are four first aid kits kept in the Club: one in the bar, one in the gym, one in the weights rooms and one in the boat bays. The boat man will be responsible for ensuring the kits are kept stocked with the items listed in RowSafe and will check them all at least monthly. All use must be reported to that stock can be replenished. The Bar Manager will be responsible for maintaining the first aid kit in the bar. Defibrillator The Club defibrillator is located on the wall in the gym, next to the coaches’ office. Huw Jones and Julian Shaw are trained to use it. If neither of them are available, anyone can use it as it is a simple process and there are instructions in the kit. It will be checked annually by the boat man. No one should use the defibrillator unless instructed to do so by the emergency services by telephone. 2.2 Signing In/Out All outings must be recorded in the Signing Out/In Book (“log”) which is an A4 book and is on a shelf in Bay 1. There are separate ones for rowing boats and launches. Damage should be noted in the book, as well as reported to the boat man, by email or by writing on the white board in the workshop. Boats currently under repair will be listed on the whiteboard in the workshop and squad co-ordinators will be informed of any that cannot be used. The log should be filled in when going out and coming in as this ensures that the club will not be locked up when you are out on the water. The above procedures are a vital safety measure, if you go out and get into trouble and no-one knows you are gone you will be on your own! Equally, if crews are still on the water, please avoid locking up the boathouse, although bays other than the one in use should have the launches out away and shut. The bay 1 key is kept outside the crewroom and changing rooms. It should be replaced immediately after each use. 2.3 PLA Ebb Tide Warning System The Green, Amber, Red & Black Flagged system monitors the volume of fluvial flow on the ebb tide. The PLA display the coloured flags on the home page of the web site (www.boatingonthethames.co.uk) and the widget is displayed on the bottom of the Thames RC website. Green = The PLA advise all river users to navigate with caution and maintain a proper lookout. Amber = The PLA advise all river users that the fluvial flow is stronger than average and they advise schools, novices or junior crews or those that do not regularly use the tidal Thames not to go afloat. Red = The PLA advise all river users that the fluvial flow is far higher than usual and extreme caution is urged PLA advise man-powered vessels not to go afloat. Black = The PLA advise all river users that the fluvial flow is less than usual and lower than predicted tides may be expected, especially around low water. In Amber flag situations only experienced oars people are allowed to boat in small boats and all coaches should take a dynamic risk assessment as to the safety of boating their crews. Inexperienced novice crews should not boat. In Red flag situations, no one is allowed to boat from TRC. In Black flag situations crews should not row upstream of Kew within 2 hours of low water or boat at night within 2 hours of low water, due to the increased risk of grounding. 3 2.4 Thunder Storms and Lightning All members should be aware of the local weather forecast when planning outings, particularly when thunderstorms have been predicted. If thunder is heard and/or lightning observed before the outing has commenced individuals and crews MUST remain at the club. If thunder is heard and/or lightning observed whilst on the water, individuals and crews must seek proper shelter. If you are on the water, get to the shore and off wide, open beaches as quickly as possible as water will transmit strikes from further away. Hold the oars parallel with the water and not up in the air. If safe to do so, individuals and crews should return immediately to the Club; however this has to be with due consideration to the “30-30” rule for lightning.